The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1887-08-19
MISS PERSIS.
The Pathetic Story of Herself and
Her Doll.

think she always must have been
called "Miss " Persis, even when she
was a child-that is, if she ever was a
child. Perhaps she had not always
worn her hair smoothly combed down
behind her ears and fastened in tight
knot behind with a horn comb; per-
haps she had not always dressed in a
black gown, with stiff, sharp folds, or
had needless CATERS on her large, bony
feet; but ] don't think Miss Persls
could have ever. been a real child.
The house she lived in was a good
deal like Miss Persis, only it was very
small. Still, it seemed to be trying to
live up to her pattern as well as it
could. 1t stood lengthwise with the
road. 1t had door in the middle that
led into a tiny square hall from which
opened on one side the darkened and
unused country parlor, and on the
other the liying-room, only in Miss
Persis' house this room did not take
the comfortable, home-like air of the
usual family liying-room, but kept a
general likeness to the parlor. The
kitchen was in an l. at the back of the
house, and upstairs there were proba-
bly, two bedrooms, but | doubt if any
one ever went upstairs at Miss Persis'.
Miss Persis had not always been
alone; her mother had lived with her
but Mrs Hotblack had been merely
an elder Miss Pcrsis., Isuppose once
there had been q Mr. Hotblack; but |
never heard of him. and it was quite
impossible to imagine him. Mrs. Hot
black and her daughter were both
members of the church." and of
course the minister's wife and the
wives of the deacons went to call on
them at regular intervals. l think,
however, it was always regarded by
the church members rs a sort of re-
ligious duty. No one ever thought of
dropping i'm to see them, or of "be-
ing neighborly." After Mrs. Hot.
black died all the neighbors called, as
neighbors ought to. And Mrs. Deacon
Asher said she had never felt so awk-
ward in her life She couldn't think
of thing to say, and she felt all the
while as if Miss Persis was wondering
what she'd come for. They all said
Miss Persis bore her affliction wonder
fully. 1t was only in sterner and
more forbidding aspect that she
showed her increased loneliness.
remember as a child being sent to
Miss Persis' sometimes to say that the
missionary meeting would be put off
until next week, or that Sewing So
ciety' would meet at Mrs. Potter's in
stead of Mrs. Hewitt's. used to hate
TO go. | was always afraid that, as
the children put it, Miss Persis would
''say something" l always latched
the gate of the white picket fence be-
hind me. | forgot to latch the gate
anywhere else; but should have been
afraid to leave her gate swinging. The
path shat led up to the front door was
bordered by low, stumpy growth of
box. 1t never seemed to gr.ow-I
used to think it was because Miss
Persis walked up the path so often.
Close to the door was large bush of
prim, and the flowers on either side of
the walk were mostly of stiff and
angular kind, such as hollyhocks, lark
spur and cock s-comb. There were
never any pert johnny-jump-ups in
her garden, nor climbing roses, nor
the long branches of sweetbrier. Moth
ing ever wandered or climbed there;
everything grew in rows or bushes,
Spd kept to its proper place.
When had rung the door-bell Miss
Persis would open the door Just wide
enough to let me in; and / would tell
my errand standing on the mat just in
side the entry-such spotless little
entry, with its square of rag carpet and
the mat that always had to stand on!
There was little broom and dust
pan hanging on nail near the door,
and l always imagined, as | walked
back down the front path, that Miss
Persis had taken them down and was
brushing off the mat-the mat that [
had stood on.
Poor Miss Persis! it wasn't her fault
that she looked so grim and austere;~
and no one ever suspected how the
lonely woman longed for sympathy
and the power to express her own in
terest in others. She could drop her
dollar into the plate every missionary
Sunday-a dollar saved by much econ
Omy from her scanty income-but as to
giving help and personal kindness to
the poor people around her, that she
could not do. There never was a more
regular attendant at the sewing society
than Miss Persis; and she did more
than any two Of the ladies, rs she sat
silently sewing while the rest worked
and talked the while about Mr.. Peters
new house, or new kind of crochet,
or a particularly toothsome receipt for
nut-cake, or on any of the numerous
topics of village sewing society. The
poor. Western missionary may have
found cause to bless the labors of Miss
Persis; but the poor about the town
knew her charities only as they came
in the general church collection or in
cast-off garments sent by the minis
ter's wife.
There was poor Mrs. Turner, who
was Miss Persis' nearest neighbor, |
and who was left widow with eight |
~
little children to bring up. Miss |
Persis wished that she could do some
thing for her; she thought it would be
a real treat to sew for those |
children-but she never dared to offer |
to. She wouldn't hay known what to |
say.
Miss Persis used to watch the chill
dren as they passed her house on their |